Sochi Olympics 2014… Made in America/NC

I don’t know about you, but I get sucked into the Olympics when it is an “Olympic Year.” After the fallout from finding out that the USA uniforms for London 2012 were not actually made in America, it got me to thinking more about our Made in America trend and how the Olympics have played a role. I’m seeing companies like Walmart, for example, start to push more money into American-Made items. This is encouraging to US manufacturers, of course, as more and more retailers “buy in.” Over 40 companies in the USA were actually used to make the 2014 Team USA Collection for Sochi, and some are even family-owned and operated.

I also did a little research to find out what part North Carolina might have played in the Sochi uniforms. The wool used to make the cardigans by Ralph Lauren was spun and dyed in Our State. That is awesome!

Now, the reviews on the outfits from the opening ceremony were varied. Anywhere from hated to loved as “pure Americana.” My opinion? Anything made in America that represents us to the world like that should be celebrated, not only economically, but more importantly with pride and patriotism. Most of our athletes were indeed “Made in America” ultimately. The athletes' stories of the struggles, training, and overcoming to make it to Sochi back our strong American Spirit even more just like the struggle and endurance some US manufacturers have had in the last several years as more and more manufacturing has been outsourced abroad. To see America start to recognize how US manufacturing can strengthen our country is encouraging.

I’m excited to see how the rest of the Olympics go and will definitely be rooting for our athletes no matter what they are wearing. It just twinges my pride to know that our athletes can be backed domestically in more ways than one, especially when it comes to US manufacturers. USA! USA! USA!

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Tamara Nagelberg joined IES in 2013 and is the Coordinator of Course Deployment & Registration. She ensures that students are able to access the courses that offer the most benefit for them, and that the courses themselves run smoothly. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Tamara is also a dual small business owner. Connect with Tamara on Twitter at https://twitter.com/IESRegGuru and also on LinkedIn.